Friday, October 22, 2010

On and off my hooks at the moment...

Hello, everyone!Thanks so much for the compliments on my Jalie top. I can well imagine that the sewists amongst you must have been relieved. ;) Today's entry, though, is devoted to crochet; I am hoping to alternate between sewing and crochet posts from now on. Crochet brings me a lot of joy, and I certainly don't plan on stopping just because my sewing mojo is back. :)I have been working on a warm woolen shawl over the past few weeks. The weather has taken a turn and it's getting definitely colder now...

The pattern is Flying Diamonds, by Vicki Mikulak. You can purchase it here if you don't do Ravelry (though really, you know you should! ;)).The picture above shows the shawl about 2/3 done, a week ago; I was able to get a lot of progress done last weekend thanks to a knitting bee at my local yarn shop. I used a thicker yarn than recommended, but kept the recommended hook size (G/4 mm), to get a denser, warmer fabric. I wanted this shawl to be huge and finally decided it was big enough yesterday night, after using all 7 skeins (= 1,000 yards) of Phildar Lambswool.

I set it to block on the bed today... Someone was very willing to help, which prevented me from using pins, but the shawl blocked beautifully anyway with the wetting, drying and kitty-sprawling method.

I'll take "real" pics of the finished object once it's finished drying, and as soon as I get a chance.

~*~

Another large project that I started last weekend, is a throw for the living room. As everything else in the room is in neutral shades, I decided to go for a splash of colour. Here are the first 7 squares.

The pattern I'm using is the Sunny Spread Blanket, a free pattern by Ellen Gormley. Despite the daunting size of the finished project, this has been quite fun to work on, as every square feels like a mini-finish. I love the textured stitches.

~*~

Finally, here's my latest loot (and a peek at the shawl's border): variegated thread to make a tunic, now that the shawl is done. I like to alternate between 2 crochet projects to keep my interest going, and of varied difficulty, so that I may have a choice depending on my level of tiredness/focus. The yarn is Tosca Light, by Lang Yarns.

You are soooo clever with the crochet, Isabelle! I just love to see what you crochet as much as what you sew--truly! The shawl is just gorgeous--what a great classic for your wardrobe. Those square are shaping up so pretty. And LOVE that yarn at the bottom--delicious color! Happy hooking, my friend ;o) ((BIG HUGS))

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Hello and welcome to my fibery corner of the Web! My name is Isabelle and I live in Southern France with my family, a very fluffy cat, many books and fabrics, and much yarn and fiber. I hope you have a lovely stay here and enjoy the podcast. You will find various ways to connect with me below.

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